Vessel preservation with glycerol: an experimental study in rats

Arterial and venous allografts (aorta and femoral vein or artery) of Sprague-Dawley rats were preserved with glycerol (98%) or by lyophilization and subsequently implanted in Wistar rats. The grafts were removed for histologic examination of vessel patency on days 1, 30, 60, and 100 postoperatively. Whereas the glycerol-preserved vessels exhibited a high patency, the results obtained with the lyophilized vessels were less favorable. Lyophilized veins could not be successfully implanted.